


Remind Me, Again?

by Followyourwaytodawn



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Accidental Relationship, Alternate Universe - College/University, Domestic Fluff, Drinking, Drunkenness, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Getting to Know Each Other, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Partying, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-09
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-03-28 23:00:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13913967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Followyourwaytodawn/pseuds/Followyourwaytodawn
Summary: Kairi liked to tell him "You never know who you're going to meet at these things!" He laughed a bit. Like he would ever meet someone at a party.





	1. Maybe It Began Here?

Finally Friday. All homework and projects completed. That meant time with friends. And _that_ meant they were going to a party.

Leon was a couple years older than the rest of the group, so he knew the best places to go. Kairi was very active in the Student Activities planning, so she knew where the best people would be. And Axel was very into the music scene, so he knew where the best music would be played.

They planned out their evening with the additions of Tidus and Selphie. As a group, they decided to go to the frat house party that one of Leon's friends helped plan. It ticked all of their "party boxes." Good people, nice place, awesome music. It was a no-brainer.

Sora spent a little more time than usual getting ready for this party. Kairi liked to tell him "You never know who you're going to meet at these things!" He laughed a bit. Like he would ever meet someone at a party. He threw on a v-neck t-shirt and a short sleeve button-down, unbuttoned of course. He couldn't try _too_ hard. End of spring in Traverse Town meant the hot weather blew in overnight, so he chose some shorts over his usual jeans.

The group met up in the campus center and decided to walk together. Axel opted to drive because his apartment was on the other side of town, but he had promised to meet up with them at the party. It was not very far, just across the sprawling campus in the residential section. They arrived in almost ten minutes, joking around as they walked together. Once they entered, Leon went to speak to some of his other friends. Kairi and Selphie ran off towards the drinks, and Tidus saw some of the other members of his Blitz team. Sora  blinked and realized he was left alone at the entrance of the frat house. He glanced around; the foyer was full of people milling about, talking, drinking, all still very tame in the early hours of the party. 

To his left, Sora saw a room that had been changed into a makeshift dance floor, and the room to the right had a couple of couches stuffed too full of people who probably pre-gamed to the party too hard. There was an impressive staircase at the end of the large foyer, as these club houses often had. This party was hosted by one of the older clubs, meaning they had the funds for nicer housing. There was another room directly ahead that Sora assumed lead the the kitchen, but he couldn't really tell due to the amount of people blocking the hallway.

He didn't have to wonder for too long, as the girls came rushing back from the assumed kitchen crowd. Suddenly, Kairi thrust a cup into his hand, "Take a shot, buddy, we're dancing tonight!" Just before she brought her own cup to her lips and downed it in one gulp. Selphie giggled along with her and took a sip of her own drink. 

Sora shrugged, "Okay, but if this turns out like the time you made Axel go dancing with you, we're gonna have to talk." Carefully, he sniffed the contents of his cup before he drank it. He couldn't identify the liquid, but he trusted Kairi. She wouldn't pick something he disliked.

Kairi rolled her eyes, "Puh-leease, we had fun, that's all that matters. Plus, Axel met someone that night." She playfully shoved his shoulder. "Take a hint, you're not gonna be young and pretty forever," she laughed.

Kairi had been the first and last girlfriend Sora dated. They mutually determined that they were better off best friends when Sora began to realize he wasn't really attracted to girls. The realization was hard to come to, but when he came out to her junior year of high school, she was very supportive. She hadn't been offended, either, but Kairi then made it a personal mission to help Sora meet his person. He loved the enthusiasm but hoped she would bore of the task quickly. 

She did not.

Before Sora could make any kind of remark, Selphie grabbed Kairi's hand and shouted, "I love this song! C'mon!" As Selphie pulled her away, Kairi reached out for Sora's hand as well, so they could keep track of each other in the crowd. 

They made it to the dance floor, found a space, and settled in for a few songs. The three quickly got caught up in the bass. Sora lost count of the songs, and eventually, the number of drinks his friends brought him. Somewhere after the fifth shot, he told himself he should really get some water or stop drinking. But, distraction came in the form of Selphie pushing another cup in his hand. Before she downed her own cup, Selphie tried to shout "Doubles!" over the crowd. Sora laughed and drank his own.

Sometime between finishing the next two dances and Sora deciding he really did need water, the last few drinks kicked in. He was dizzy, but happy. Holding on to the wall for support, someone who sounded vaguely like Axel held onto his other arm, leading him to a much brighter room. Amazingly, the crowds were parting easily for them. Before Sora had time to ponder that, he was sitting down and a new cup was put into his hand. Sora told maybe-Axel, "I don'need anymore, kay," and dropped the cup on (or close to) the table.

Table? When did he get here? The bright blur  of color in front of him made sounds again and-

That was it.

Blank.

Sora woke to a bright light. Groaning, he threw his arm over his eyes. Hearing his own voice hurt his head; the light hurt his head. 'Gods, how much did I drink?'

Knowing Kairi wouldn't have left him alone if he was smashed, he called out to her, "Kai, help, everything hurts." When he received no response, he chanced opening his eyes. And what he saw alarmed him.

The clean room around him definitely looked like it belonged to a college student, mismatched furniture, a couple of gaming systems on the TV stand, beige walls. This in and of itself was not what alarmed Sora. What alarmed him was that he recognized none of it. The room did not belong to anyone he knew. The couch he woke up on did not belong to Kairi, Selphie, Axel, Leon, Tidus- no one.

Not yet trusting himself to get up and walk, he called out again much louder, "Hello?" This time in response, he heard a thump and the sound of quick footsteps. A door opened, revealing a flustered looking young man. Long silver hair hastily pulled back in a half up, half down sort of bun and stood in the doorway wide-eyed and mildly out of breath.

"H-hi." He huffed, his voice sounding like he just woken up. Sora tried to give a once-over, but his head was hurting so much that the only description he could muster was cute. "Uh, are you okay? How are you feeling? Do you need some water?" Cute guy asked in a rush as he crossed the room to the couch. He crouched so that he was on Sora's level. Then he asked more questions, "Advil? Do you need me to call someone?"

Sora waved his hand at him in what was supposed to be a placating gesture but came out as if he was waving him off. "I just wanna know what I did last night, and where I am." He paused a second before softly saying, "Water and Advil would be nice." 

Next to the couch, there was a small end table that already had a water bottle and a bottle of Advil on it. As Sora had been studying him, the stranger leaned over to grab them. He very gently set them in Sora's hand saying, "Drink slowly, you don't want to get sick." Sora nodded slightly, so as not to jostle himself around too much. 

After taking the pills, Sora pressed again, "Hey do you know what happened to me last night? I remember being at the party... and not much after?" 

The young man flushed and turned his head away from Sora. Slowly he started, "Oh, uh, you were very drunk. And mostly alone, then these creepy guys were trying to convince you to leave with them, but I, uh, I've never done this before, but I kind of claimed to be your boyfriend? So I told them you weren't going anywhere. They got pissed, but left you alone. I tried to ask if you were there with anyone, but you wouldn't stop staring at me saying 'wow my boyfriend is HOT!'" Towards the end, his words came out in a rush, and his face flushed deeper in what appeared to be embarrassment. He picked at lint on the couch as if trying to distract himself from looking directly at Sora. Sora just chuckled, which caused the young man to look up at him.

"Yeah, that sounds like me," Sora smiled good naturedly at him, "but where are we now..? Just curious."

"Oh, well, you wouldn't tell me who you were with or if there was a safe place I could take you. So I, and again I swear I've never done this before, I brought you back to my place just outside of campus. I didn't really think. I tried to get you to drink some water to sober up, but you were saying you were part mermaid and poured it all over yourself. I got you a dry shirt to change into." He gestured to Sora's chest with a nod of his head. Sora looked down, and sure enough he was wearing a white shirt a size too big to be his own. "And uh, yeah, then you fell asleep on my couch. Also, hi, I'm Riku, your boyfriend apparently."


	2. From the Other Side

"You just need to relax, ya?" Wakka said, elbowing Riku in his side. "You're at a party and you're all... stiff." He poked Riku's shoulders as he finished speaking. Riku shrugged him off, taking a small step away from him. Wakka ignored him in favor of waving over at someone else. Raising his voice, he shouted "'Ey, Tidus!"

Riku turned and glanced behind himself to see a flash of blonde hair rapidly wading through the crowd towards them. "Wakka, what's up! Hey Riku, been here long?" Riku shuffled over to give Tidus room to join them in the crowded space. They were merely inches from any other person around them, so  it was a tight squeeze.

"Nah, Riku wanted to be fashionably late, as usual!" Wakka threw his arm around his friend and gave him a hearty shake. Riku huffed indignantly, but he smirked a moment later.

"Yeah, I was the one in the shower for 30 minutes and hogging the bathroom to pump myself up for the party." Riku quipped sarcastically, giving his friend a good natured shove to get himself free. Instead, he caused Wakka to step back and bump into a girl, causing her to spill her drink. While Wakka profusely apologized to the angry girl, Riku turned back to Tidus, holding in a chuckle. "Who are you here with?" He tried to make casual conversation, but speaking to a friend of a friend set him on edge. Large social gatherings were never easy for him. Tidus was nice enough, but Riku just did not know him very well beyond seeing him with Wakka.

"A couple of other friends from school, but they're probably dancing right now. That's not really my scene. So I'm hanging out with the team for the moment." Riku hummed in response, eyes scanning the room seeing Tidus and Wakka's teammates not too far away. They made for a rowdy bunch at parties. Laughing loudly, flipping chairs from leaning too far back, daring each other to do off the wall things, they were not Riku's typical crowd, but they were good people.

As he scanned the crowd again, Riku thought he saw a familiar face behind the blitz team, moving between the rooms. He didn't dare hope. "E-excuse me, I'll, uh, be back later." He said bluntly to Tidus. He shrugged as Riku left without waiting for a response. 

Riku darted between people, trying to make it across the room to verify his thoughts. He found a clear spot near the wall, and made his way to it. Maybe he could finally get up the courage to- _oh_.

He stopped at the threshold between the main foyer and the converted dance room. Riku was a good height, but even he had a hard time seeing through the crowd. Although, what he saw made his heart skip a beat.

Sora.

Happy and carefree. He danced, most likely with friends, but Riku could not focus on them when Sora smiled like that. Riku found himself leaning his shoulder against the wall, lips parted in awe. "Wow..."

How could- gods, how could he possibly interrupt that unbridled joy? Suddenly, Sora's head tipped back as he laughed, causing Riku's heart to flutter almost uncomfortably in his chest. Dazed, he whispered out almost a sigh, "What I wouldn't give to be the person who made him laugh like that." 

He probably watched for way longer than what was deemed acceptable because, "Just go ask her to dance. You've been staring for a whole five minutes," someone said from beside him. Riku jumped and looked away from Sora. Turning towards the voice, he found Axel stood next to him. 

Riku feigned disinterest, glancing back over the crowd. He crossed his arms slowly, "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just people watching." He wanted to correct Axel by saying the person of interest was definitely not a  _she,_ but he wasn't sure how Axel would react. They sat next to each other in a philosophy class and had shared notes once or twice. That didn't exactly make them  _friends_ in Riku's book. 

"C'mon man, you know exactly what I'm talking about. The little redhead over there. I must say, you have better taste than I thought." Axel joked, combing his fingers through the side of his own hair. Riku rolled his eyes.

"Okay, enlighten me. If I was looking at her, what do you suggest I do about it? Beyond asking her to dance?" Riku shot back. He could play this little game with Axel. His eyes skipped over the crowd again, and he found Sora very quickly. Then he saw the girl. She danced very close to Sora. Her hands outstretched and linked to Sora's, and a simmer of jealousy rose up before Riku tore his eyes away from the pair. 

Cheeky grin and an aura of arrogance, Axel rested a hand on Riku's shoulder, "I saw that. Stop kidding yourself. Buck up, gain some confidence, hit her with a really good pickup line. Do something to impress her. That's how you make the magic happen." He gestured to accentuate his speech. Often, his hand rose to put emphasis on the  important parts and fell when speaking normally. Axel smirked, "Better hurry, she looks- well, I'll let you figure it out." He was keeping something from Riku. He could tell there was more.

"You know, that might work, except" Riku paused to give Axel a pointed look, "if you had listened, I was going to say, l wasn't looking at  _her._ " Riku pointed in Sora's direction. It was a little harder to find him that time, as the crowd moved with the music. 

Axel followed Riku's direction, and his eyes widened. He sputtered a bit. "Ah. Gotcha. But, word to the wise, it might not be the smartest idea to talk up another guy at a frat party."

Riku withered. That was a good point. He sighed heavily and fiddled with the end of his long hair, suddenly very aware of his predicament. 

"Hey, I'm not saying don't do it, I'm just saying be careful. There are probably some people here who won't treat you too kindly if they find out, okay. Trust me. Been there, done that, it sucks." Axel offered him. It sounded like he meant to comfort, but it only served to break Riku's fragile confidence even more.

He decided to turn tail, for now. He turned away from the dance room and moved back over to Tidus and Wakka. They were recounting their latest game with wild gestures to whoever would listen.

"And suddenly it was like- BAM! It hit the goal, and now we're on the way to the championship!" Tidus exclaimed, teetering on the edge of a couch's arm. He regaled the story to a couple of girls Riku didn't recognize; a blonde with several braids in her hair and a brunette who smiled politely as they listen to him.

Wakka noticed Riku's return, "Hey man, find anything good?" He shook his head and waved in the direction of the wall. Riku wanted a minute to himself, hard to get in a place like this. It took a second, but he managed to find a place by the wall to lean against.

He considered going home. There was probably something to study. But if he went home there was absolutely no chance of talking to Sora. He scowled to himself. Like there was a way he would have the courage to talk to him anyway. Riku folded his arms and scanned the crowd, people watching for a minute while collecting his thoughts. A lot of unfamiliar faces, most of them with a drink in their hand, having a great time. A drink sounded good. Okay, one free drink, then home.

Catching up with Wakka, Riku let him know he was about to head out. Wakka jokingly chastized him for being a wet blanket and a nerd, while Riku pretended to be offended and upset. They laughed and said their goodbyes. 

He waded his way through the crowd to the foyer. The entrance to the kitchen was packed full of people. He figured he could wait. Riku considered himself a patient man. Very patient.

It took him a good twenty minutes to get his drink. People in the kitchen were in various states of drunkenness, and somewhere in the middle was a group of girls doing competitive shots. Through the people, Riku saw a side entrance that was much less occupied. A much quicker way out.

Side-stepping a guy with seven beers in his arms, Riku made his way through the side door. To his left, a short hallway lead back to the dance floor, he really didn't want to go through that. "Hopefully, there's a side door..." he muttered to himself. Ahead of him, another hallway went further into the house, so Riku walked that way. Just a few yards away to his right, a door was open and light spilled out into the hall. He thought nothing of it as he passed and glanced in only out of curiousity. He had planned to keep walking, but he did a double take and stopped in his tracks.

The smaller room, most likely a study room for the house's residents, held a few tables and many more chairs. In one particular chair pushed up against the back wall, Sora swayed, attempting to speak to two figures looming over him. Next to him, a table stood with what looked like a spilt cup of water dripping onto the floor.

"Look at this guy, what a lightweight. Can't even hold a few shots. C'mon, we'll show you how to really handle a drink." The taller of the two boasted. 

Riku stood stock still, not sure what to do. He wasn't usually the type to intervene in other people's business. This was different. Someone was being threatened, and that someone happened to be the person Riku admired. He watched as Sora responded with an exaggerated shrug and a slurred "I tried." Why was he still smiling? Did he not understand what was happening? 

The other person, shorter and stockier, leaned toward Sora, sticking out his lower lip in an exaggerated pout, "Oh, yeah, and you tried your hardest, that's all you can do, huh?" He straightened back up and let out a rough laugh. Sora laughed with him, light and bubbly, and Riku realized he was hopelessly drunk. Only when the stockier guy leaned in and grabbed at Sora's shoulder did Riku find the strength to do something.  

"Sora, there you are!" He called jovially, walking into the room. The two guys turned to look at him. Sora lifted his hand and waved, squinting in his direction. "I've been looking for you everywhere." Riku continued as he stepped up to the group. 

"Who are you?" asked the taller man, squaring his shoulders. His companion whacked him in the bicep to get his attention.

"Does it matter? We're leaving, our friend Sora is in pretty bad shape." The shorter man said, voice dripping with false sympathy. He made to help Sora out of his chair when Riku spoke up.

"It's funny, that you call yourselves his friends." Riku stated calmly, while his brain was scrambling to think. He couldn't let them convince Sora to leave; they obviously had ill intentions! Riku shrugged, appearing nonchalant. "Really, because, I've never seen you around before." He needed a plan and fast.

His comment must have stirred them up, because suddenly the stockier guy was in his face. "Oh yeah, and what are you? Some kinda stalker?" He really puffed himself up. He was trying his hardest to intimidate Riku. Instead, Riku kept a schooled expression, still thinking until-

Got it.

"No, nothing like that. I'm just Sora's boyfriend. Annnd, I think it's time for you to leave." Riku smoothly stepped around the man in front of him and to Sora's side...

And Sora was staring at him with stars in his eyes. "Woooaah," he whispered, sounding like he was in total awe of Riku. Sora suddenly surged up out of his chair and latched onto Riku for support. "My boyfriend is HOT!" He dissolved into a fit of giggles, while Riku tried to keep him upright.

"Okay Sora, I think it's time to get you home." He smiled charmingly, trying to be convincing. He looked across the room to see the others had not left. Riku fixed them with a cold stare, "Why are you still here?"

The two glanced at each other. The stockier guy open his mouth, but it was the taller one who spoke first. "Fine. We're leaving, this is more trouble than it is worth, anyway." He turned to leave, nudging his buddy and uttering "Come on." They walked out without looking back. Riku took a deep breath of relief and looked again at Sora.

"Hi Sora, I'm Riku. I, well, I know we aren't well acquainted, but can I take you back to your place? You're drunk and uh..." he trailed off, noticing the look Sora was giving him. Wide eyed and mouth slightly hanging open, his expression mirrored that of Riku's when he saw Sora dancing a little over an hour ago.

"Ohh my god. That's your voice. You're so hot. My boyfriend is really hot." It came out in a rush and syllables crammed together. Riku flushed. His brain tried to form words, but nothing came to him. 

"Well now, what happened here? I was only gone for like five minutes." Riku groaned as he saw Axel step into the room smirking at what he had just overheard. Pacing over to them, Axel held out a cup of water, "Drink up, Sora, you need it." Sora squinted at the cup then looked back at Riku. He dropped his face into the crook of Riku's neck, mumbling unintelligibly. Axel snorted out a laugh as Riku froze.

"I- look, this isn't funny-" he started, but Axel just laughed harder. "C'mon, just help me out here. You obviously know him, can you tell me where Sora lives? Some guys were messing with him." Becoming very self conscious of the way Sora held him so close, Riku tried to explain the situation to Axel. Sora pressed closer, still mumbling, and it was enough to make poor Riku's heart swell.

Axel just shrugged, his laughter calming, "Nah, fortunately or unfortunately for you, I don't." His eyes twinkled with mischeif before he smirked and said, "Looks like you're on babysitter duty, Riku. Have fun!" He set the new cup down on the table next to the spilt one, turned on his heel, and left the room.

"Next time you ask for my notes, I'm not helping you." Riku muttered after him before turning his attention back to the man wrapped around him. He shook Sora's shoulders gently, hoping for a response. Sora pulled his head back up and smiled widely at Riku. "Hey, I need to tell me, is there anywhere safe I can take you?" He slid his arm around the other's back to support him, face flushing at the close proximity.

"I'm safe with you." Sora slurred, looking up at Riku with the clearest blue eyes and sweetest, most genuine smile.

If he survived the night without having a heart attack, Riku reminded himself to thank whatever deity that allowed him to be on the receiving end of such affection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can pry long haired Riku from my cold, dead hands, Nomura. I love him.


	3. For Him, This is the Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sora realized Riku is a lot more than simply "cute." That description had not done him justice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took so long. These chapters are steadily growing in length as I get more comfortable posting.  
> Shout out to my dear friend Leah (leatardian over on tumblr) for going over these fics with a fine-toothed comb and telling me to fix my errors. (And for putting up with the million times I've texted her this last month fretting over this chapter lol)

Sora laughed, covering his mouth with his hand, "I guess I have good taste in boyfriends then." He had sat up when Riku was talking to him, and at that moment, contently sipped on the rest of his water from the water bottle he was given. "I mean, thanks for helping me. Sounds like my night could've been much worse if you hadn't stepped in!"

Red faced and stammering, Riku started, "Well, I-" He roughly ran his hand through his hair, wincing when a finger got caught in his hair tie. Readjusting his messy bun, he continued, "I couldn't have just left you there! I would just- that would just be rude." His sentences caught as if reaching for words and changing his mind midway through.

Sora snorted. "A little more than just rude," he teased back. He finished off the water bottle, but still felt like his head was never going to stop buzzing. The dull ache was affecting his thoughts, and it was just plain annoying. "Do you know any good hangover cures? Besides the raw egg in milk thing, that's gross," he emphasized his distaste with a grimace and stick his tongue out.

Riku nodded, "Oh yeah, you must be hungry. Well, you might not  _feel_ it, but greasy foods really help, c'mon." Tentatively, Riku held out a hand to help Sora up off the couch. Sora grinned and took the offered hand, pulling a little harder than he should have. Riku instinctively took a step forward to counterbalance and pulled Sora much closer than initially anticipated. Sora found himself eye level with the other man's chest. They both seemed to freeze for a second, not sure what to say or do.

"Ah," Sora started, taking a baby step backwards, "sorry, I didn't mean to get all up in your space there. Hah..." He scratched the back of his neck, sporting an apologetic grin. Looking up, he noticed Riku had his face turned away, before his eyes moved back down to their still joined hands. "Ah! Sorry!" Sora nearly yelled as he pulled his hand back down to his side. 

Riku finally faced him, an in a quiet voice he said, "It's, uh... no problem." He stood in front of Sora for a long moment then shook his head. The movement of the long stray hairs that framed Riku's face drew Sora's attention, "I'm sorry, I was... thinking. The kitchen is over here." Motioning behind Sora, Riku led them around the couch to a simple table area adjacent to the kitchen.

The apartment was very open; Sora noticed the entrance opened directly into the living room, which connected to the dining space. The only areas closed off seemed to be closets and Riku's room. It was a familiar layout, as lot of campus apartments looked like that. It seemed he lived alone. No pictures hung on the walls, just bare bones, necessary essentials of someone existing in the space.

Sora sat at the table, noticing half of it was covered in text books and papers. A closed laptop with a sticker reading of a book "LJS" on it sat atop the pile of books. Reaching out, Sora turned the laptop in his direction, reading the sticker. "What's LJS? A book series you like?" He asked looking back up at Riku. He was in the kitchen washing his hands, but responded when stopped to dry them.

"Ah, no, it's part of my major. Law and Justice Society. Basically I'm pre-law." Riku responded as he turned and tossed the dishtowel over the oven handle. He shrugged, "Nothing too fancy. Do you prefer fried or hard boiled eggs?" Riku sounded dismissive talking about himself, but Sora wanted to know more about him. In his current state though, he figured he could ask more later.

"Right now, fried sounds faster... But can you make sure the yolk is cooked, please? Runny yolk is gross." He grimaced and made a "bleh" sort of sound. So what, he was a picky eater. He propped an elbow up on the table and watched Riku prepare his kitchen.

Pausing midway through grabbing a skillet from out of the cabinet, Riku smirked, "Oh, making demands of my hospitality? Maybe I shouldn't have brought you home after all." Sora folded his arms on the table and laid his head on them, still facing the kitchen. He mumbled a quick "sorry" feeling a little embarrassed. Laughing, Riku directed a smile at Sora, "I was joking. Of course I can do that for you." He turned back to the stove, placing the pan on it and turned on the burner.

That smile was different. There was something behind it, and whatever it was caused a dusting of pink blush to cross Sora's cheeks. He quickly buried his face into his arms, "Th-thanks." He hoped he wasn't misreading the situation; Sora really did not want to make things awkward. Riku had been so nice to him so far. He couldn't help that the man was so... pretty. Unkempt bun and everything, he was just pretty. And pretty made Sora weak in the knees, even moreso with his brain not fully functioning. He stayed hidden in his arms, thinking while listening to Riku cook.

Riku was super his type. Sora appreciated muscle, and Riku had that going for him. He was just attractive overall. But, something was gnawing at the back of Sora's mind. He  _must_ know Riku from somewhere; he looked so familiar. He peeked over at the other man trying to recall. Riku caught him staring and asked, "What is it? Do you need something?"

Sitting back up, Sora quickly responded, "Ah, not to be super weird or anything, but have we met before? You look awfully familiar, but I just can't think of where I've seen you." Sora was the type of person who remembered the face of just about everyone he met. And there was no way he would forget a face like Riku's.

Flipping the eggs over in the skillet, Riku kept his eyes on the food as he replied, "We have a class together. Special Topics: Social Ethics. I usually sit towards the back. You talk a lot in that class, so that's how I knew who you were at the party." He added another egg to the skillet, gently putting the cracked shell back into the carton. "Speaking of, uh, a lot of what you say in class is very insightful. I feel like we have similar opinions in many respects," Riku added quietly.

"Thanks! I kinda have a hard time keeping my opinions quiet in that class. There's just so much to talk about! Last week's topic was one of my favorites so far." Sora perked up when Riku began placing the eggs on a plate with a clink of his metal spatula. He walked over to the table, plate in hand, and set it and a fork down in front of Sora.

"Fried egg, no runny yolk for the picky eater. I'm going to make something else, but getting something in your stomach will help with that hangover more than advil." Riku turned back toward the kitchen to finish breakfast. As he opened up the fridge to get back to work, Sora turned his focus to the plate.

Eating slowly, Sora felt quite comfortable just sitting and listening to the sounds Riku made as he cooked in the kitchen. It was nice having someone looking out for him- or taking care of him. He shook that thought out of his head and stuffed another forkfull of egg in his mouth. A few minutes had passed when he looked back up to speak. Stopping before the words could leave his mouth, Sora gaped at the kitchen. There were several more things out on the counters than there had been a few minutes ago, and Riku looked hard at work combining ingredients. "Wha-what? Riku, you don't have to do all of this for me! I was just fine with the eggs!"

Riku appeared very in his own element as he shrugged with a shy smile. "The way I was raised, if we ever had guests stay overnight, we were supposed to treat them to a good breakfast the next morning. Really, it's no big deal. I hope you like pancakes and bacon." Sora watched him cross to the sink, dripped a little water onto his fingers, then turned around and flicked it onto the skillet. When it sizzled, Riku nodded and grabbed his mixing bowl, delicately pouring batter on to it.

"Wow, I never really learned how to cook. Or bake. Mostly because I hated cleaning up afterward," Sora chuckled as he watch Riku. "The only reason my apartment even gets clean is because my friend Kairi makes-" his eyes widened and he smacked himself in the forehead. Riku startled when Sora yelled, "KAIRI! Oh god, she's gotta be so worried!! Do you know where my phone is?!" He patted his front pockets then stood up to check the back. Standing too quickly made his head spin, but once he got his bearings, he rushed over to the couch. Feeling around in the cushions, he found his phone with the notification light blinking.

"Everything alright?" Riku called from the stove after Sora let out a very long groan. He poked the home button, and the screen lit up showing ten missed calls, fifteen texts, and five voicemails. The most recent text showed up on the screen

_Okay, so Axel told me what happened. Pls call me when you can so I kno you're safe. And for the love of god don't-_

The text preview cut off midway through the text. Instead of checking the rest, Sora thought it best to call her back immediately. He did not fancy worrying her more.

Unlocking his phone, he hit the call icon on Kairi's text contact. It only rung for two seconds before she picked up, "Soo, I hear you got a new boyfriend that you went home with last night." Sora's face flushed at the implication and he squeaked out a "Kairi!" She laughed, "Seriously, are you okay?"

Sora glanced back at the kitchen, where Riku was giving him a questioning look. When he gave a smile and a thumbs up, Riku nodded and went back to the stove. "Yes, Kai, I'm fine. Just drank too much. A friend took me back to his place, so I could sober up. Apparently some guys were messing with me and Riku- my friend- had to find a way to help- look I'll tell you all of it later," Sora peeked back into the kitchen, and upon seeing Riku still busy, he lowered his voice. He paced in front of the couch as he spoke, "He's been super sweet. And he's making an actual breakfast. I haven't had one since I visited my mom over break."

Kairi giggled into the phone, "Okay, I expect full details once you get back home, got it?" She paused for a second, and her tone changed, "I'm glad you're okay... Selphie and I were so worried when we couldn't find you. And Axel waited his good, sweet time to tell us what happened." She sounded miffed, but none of the heat was directed at Sora. "So he can cook.... is your  _friend_ cute?"

"Oh, wow, look at the time, breakfast is almost ready, gotta go Kairi." Sora said dryly. She made a sound of protest, and Sora snickered, "Look, we'll talk when I get home, okay? Promise." They said their goodbyes and hung up. Sora walked back over to the table, sitting down with a sigh. He took a moment to check the rest of his texts, if only to get rid of the notifications. A minute later, Riku finished up their breakfast.

Bringing two fill plates to the table, Riku asked, "Protective friend?" He sat a plate in front of Sora and his own adjacent. Sitting down himself, Riku looked to Sora.

"Nah, it's just my best friend, Kairi. I was at the party with her, and I guess I just disappeared on her..." Picking up his fork, Sora cut into his pancakes with the side of it, and shoveled a big bite into his mouth. His eyes lit up, and he turned to Riku excitedly, "Mmm! Oh my god, this is so good! Wow!!!" The sound was muffled, as his mouth was still full, but he had to applaud genius.

Riku smiled but coutioned, "Hey, don't talk with food in your mouth, you'll choke. But, thanks." With a soft smile remaining on his lips, Riku tucked into his own food. Sora closed his mouth and went back to devouring his food. Riku took much smaller bites as he ate, and when Sora looked up, he realized Riku had eaten very little while he had only half left. That encouraged him to slow down and actually enjoy the meal.

They ate in relative, but comfortable, silence, only broken by Sora, again, telling Riku that he, "makes the best, and I mean the BEST pancakes in the world!!" Eventually Sora made the joke, "I'm gonna have to stay over more often!" And Riku choked on his last bite of food.

Looking concerned, Sora reached over and patted him on the back as Riku coughed. He waved Sora off as he caught his breath and got up to get a glass of water. "I'm fine, I'm fine, just went down the wrong pipe." He emptied the glass in a couple swallows and refilled it as the last remnants of his cough faded. Glancing at Sora, he very quickly turned away upon meeting his concerned gaze. Sora thought the tips of his ears looked red. Must have been the cough?

Sora picked up their empty plates and brought them over to the sink, telling himself it was not an excuse to get closer to the other man. "Um, where do you want me to put these?" Sora felt a definite draw to Riku. He did not know him well at all, but he knew he wanted to get to know him. After all, Riku had not known Sora and saved him from a very unfortunate situation. He had to be a great person.

Sora was pulled from his thoughts when he felt the weight of the plates lifted from his hands. "I can take them," Riku said as he gently pulled the dishes away and placed them in the sink. "...I'll get them later." He flipped on the water to rinse any crumbs doen the garbage disposal then flicked it off again. 

Another silence fell over them, this one slightly less comfortable than the last, as there was nothing to distract them. Riku shifted his weight from one foot to the other and cleared his throat, "Uh, so, I guess you probably want to go home now- not that I don't want you here! Just figure you've got other stuff and didn't expect to spend the night with, well,  _me_."

There was something in the way Riku referred to himself that made Sora very curious. He almost sounded... sad? Wistful? Sad that Sora might not want to be there with him? He decided not to push it, in case he was reading too much into it. Instead, Sora replied, "Oh, yeah, I really wouldn't mind taking a shower and brushing my teeth right about now. I feel super gross." He huffed out a very short, self-conscious laugh.

"Okay, I'll take you home then." Riku walked over to the door, grabbing his keys off the hook next to it. Sora followed him immediately. He thought Riku might want to change, but he looked perfectly comfortable going out in old sweatpants and a t-shirt.

Once outside, Sora looked at the building. It was one of those apartments that had eight units, four on top, four on bottom, split in the middle by a staircase. That staircase led up to a landing for the upper four apartments. It was quite similar to how his own complex was designed, colors and everything... And the peeling black paint on the staircase was exactly-

"Oh my god."

"What, are you okay?" Riku asked, as Sora whipped around to check the apartment number on Riku's door. The plating and font was the exact same, but the door read 208. He checked the parking lot, and there, in broad daylight, was his car. Having a hard time processing this, Sora turned back to Riku, who was regarding him with utter confusion.

"I live here. On the upper floor. I live in 212."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Riku's apartment number is the date I first put up some of my writing after having written for years and being too afraid to share. :p


	4. Something Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora asks a question, and Riku takes a chance. And in the end, something good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Piyoufo and Shiroi_Inu! I really enjoy your comments and thank y'all for reading! :D

The following Monday back in class, Riku was exhausted. He spent the rest of his weekend wondering how the hell it had gotten past him that Sora lived directly above him. Riku had lived in that same apartment for nearly two years, so had the most of his neighbors as far as he was aware. Maybe he could chalk his obliviousness up to working late in the library and not returning home at regular hours. That had to be it.

Because after having  ~~a crush~~   _admired_ someone for around four months, a regular person would have spoken to them before that someone ended up drunk on their couch.

Riku grumbled at himself for being such a coward. Lost in his own thoughts, he stared straight forward at the board. The classroom had been modified to where they swapped out the desks for tables, to encourage group discussion. Riku did not think much of it. He rarely spoke up in class.

A sudden slam jolted him out of his thoughts as someone dropped their bag on the table next to him and sat down. "Hey Riku! Mind if I sit here?" Startled, he blinked at a smiling Sora sitting right beside him. Right. The class was Social Ethics. Riku was not prepared for this yet.

"Uh, yeah, sure," he mumbled, dumbstruck. Riku had not thought Sora would continue interacting with him when they got back to school, much less seek him out. Fidgeting with the end of his low ponytail, he tried to think of something more to say. Everything within him was flashing nervous signals not to screw up basic human interaction.

If Sora noticed his nervousness, he said nothing about it. He leaned into Riku's space and asked, "Hey, so, I hope you're not doing anything after class, 'cause if you're okay with it, I'd like to buy you lunch?" Riku's heart stopped, his mind came to a screeching halt, and he was pretty sure he stopped breathing. Was Sora asking him on a  _date?_ What had he done recently to deserve this? Belatedly, he realized Sora was still talking.

"-Cute little Greek café called the Coliseum! My friends and I wanted to check it out today, and if you're free, I was hoping I could buy you lunch to say thanks!" Sora smiled brilliantly, even while he talked. He used animated gestures along with his speech like he could not possibly sit still. It was a wonderful sort of energy to be around, Riku thought. In fact, he was so caught up in it that he almost missed Sora's expectant look.

Oh. Right, he wanted an answer. "Oh, uh, yeah, I'm free. My next class isn't til three," he managed to say without stumbling over his words. It was worth it to say yes, as Riku got to see Sora's face light up again. Being the reason an angel smiled could set a guy up for a life of happiness. Especially if that guy was Riku and the angel was Sora and- oh god he was talking again-

"Do you wanna ride with me, or do you like to drive? Like, I mean, if you hate it there, I don't wanna keep you stuck and plus I don't think you know my friends-" Riku realized Sora was rambling... which probably meant he was nervous? About asking him? This was not happening.

Pulling together some confidence and his most charming smile, Riku interupted the babble, "Can you drive us? I think you owe me a ride." Sora stopped and blinked.

"That's... a joke? You're making a joke, right?" An amused grin played across Sora's face and a small giggle broke free from his chest. Finally settling his hands on the table, Riku saw the tension released from his shoulders. Was he that worried Riku would say no?

"Yes, I'm kidding, but still, I'd like to join you." And that was when it hit him that Sora mentioned his friends were coming. So it was not a date? Then why was Sora so nervous? Why was  _Riku_ so nervous? It was just lunch? But with the addition of Sora's friends, now he felt like he had to get through this lunch without embarrassing himself if he wanted even a single chance with Sora.

Their professor walked in and hooked up his laptop to the projector, signalling the beginning of class. Sora got out a notebook and pen, while Riku opened his laptop for notes. He glanced over and realized just how close Sora was. This was going to be a long class...

Riku could hardly pay attention while the professor spoke. Sora never sat still for more than a minute. He would bounce his legs, chew on his pen, mumble as he wrote, and he would talk. Oh, did he talk. Whenever the professor asked a question, Sora was the first with his hand up and waiting to be called on. He was so attentive, took down every important note, biting the edges of his lip in concentration. Riku looked away when he did that.

He also had this habit of sticking his right elbow waaay out to the side as he wrote, and he kept accidentally knocking into Riku , who would jump each time it happened. Sora apologized each time, but it continued happening. Riku kept startling throughout the hour long lecture.

"Remember to read pages 153 to 157 in the book, and start thinking about your discussion topic you'll bring for Friday. If you still haven't got an idea by Wednesday, let me know after class and we'll talk." Their professor said his closing remarks before dismissing the class. As everyone packed up, Riku stood and looked over to see Sora picking up his notebook, looking under it, then scooting back his chair and looking at the floor. His eyebrows pinched together in confusion when he turned to Riku.

"Hey, have you seen my pen? I swear I just had it a second ago..." He turned back to flip through his notebook. Riku chuckled because he could see the pen, plain as day, tucked behind Sora's ear. He must have put it there without realizing it. "Hey, don't laugh at me, really, where is it?"

"Oh, sorry,  it's-" without thinking, Riku reached out to grab it. The tips of his fingers just nearly brushed the shell of Sora's ear, but he could have sworn Sora shivered at the contact. Pulling his hand back, Riku held the pen out to Sora, "Uh, here..." Sora took it and hurriedly threw it in his backpack with his notebook.

Throwing on his bag, Sora asked, "R-ready to go?" He looked like a ball of nervous energy, bouncing on the balls of his feet. 

"Sure, lead the way," Riku responded, zipping up his own backpack and hefting it into his shoulder. He followed Sora out of the classroom. They talked about the class topic as Sora led them to his car. Riku listened and chimed in when he could, considering he had not absorbed the lesson at all.

The topic ended by the time they made it to Sora's car on the opposite side of the quad. Unlocking it, Sora hopped in and threw his bag in the back, then encouraged Riku to do the same. The radio played some catchy pop tune that Sora tapped his thumbs to as they pulled out of the parking lot. Silence settled its way into the close confines of the car, and Sora looked like he was about to burst. As if he could not contain himself any longer, he blurted out,

"So why pre-law? I didn't get to ask you before!"

Riku allowed himself a small moment of amusement before answering; Sora's energy really knew no bounds. "Oh it's kind of dumb, really," he looked out the passenger side window, "well, not dumb, just... I don't want to be some big-shot lawyer, if that's what you were expecting. My parents own a bakery. They were the only ones in that section of town for a long while. Then a big name chain moved in down the street, and an employee went rogue and sold my parents' signature recipes to them. The chain could make it cheaper, so my parents lost a lot of business," he sighed, thinking back on it. His mood soured a little and his brow tensed, "I want to become a legal advisor for small businesses, so I can help people like my parents. They couldn't do much about it at the time, but I'm going to make sure it never happens again." He finished resolutely.

"Wow," Sora smiled, "now I know two things about you! Why you like to cook, and that you have a vendetta against 'The Man'." He laughed at his little joke, causing Riku to crack a smile of his own. Sora's smiles must have been contagious. "All jokes aside, that's very noble of you? I'm not sure if that's the right word, but it's at least very sweet. Admirable. Maybe that's the word." Admirable, huh? Riku sunk back into his seat.

"I don't know about that. I just want to right a wrong... My parents still don't know, but I'm the one who gave the employee our recipes in the first place. He lied to me about wanting to use them to learn." Why was he saying all that? Sora did not need to know all of his fuck ups. Would he see those and stop talking to him? Now that they had begun some sort of budding friendship, Riku was getting attached. The thought of losing that... "A-anyway, that doesn't matter. What about you? I've heard a million of your opinions in class, but never what you're studying." He quickly tried to deflect the topic from himself.

A conflicted expression passed over Sora's face before he mumbled, "Well okay," seeming to give up on whatever internal struggle he was having. In the span of literally half a second, his usual bright expression returned full force, happy to answer Riku's question. "Right now, it's communications, but I'm not sure I'm going to keep it. I mean, at this point, to change  I'd have to do an extra year of school. Which isnt great, but I do know I wanna help people. I'm not sure how, but that's what I want. So, I can see where you're coming from with your degree." Sora flashed him an understanding grin, then flicked his eyes back to the road.

Riku stared out the window at the small building as they turned into the parking lot. And parking lot was a generous term. The asphalt crumbled, no lines for parking spaces, and a wire fence separated it from the next lot next door. Sora laughed at Riku's scrutinizing glare, "Everyone says it's ten times better than it looks, c'mon!" Sora killed the engine before unbuckling and hopping out. Riku paused a moment to think about what he was getting himself into, then for out of the car himself.

The place was definitely a Mom & Pop restauraunt. A picture of a large family sat at the front counter with a message under it, "Enjoy a meal with the family!" Past the entrance, several tables scattered evenly out on the floor, with booths lining the walls taking light from the many windows. Each table that wasn't already occupied had a laminated menu and napkin-wrapped cutlery waiting for a customer to use.

Riku followed Sora to a table that could comfortably seat six, but was currently only occupied by the red headed girl he had seen at the party. "Ooooh! You didn't tell me you were bringing someone! Is this the new boyfriend?" she teased. Sora's head dropped back, and he let out a loud, exasperated groan.

"Yep, that's me, fake boyfriend and knight in shining armor," Riku drawled sarcastically as he sat in the chair across from her. He assumed Sora would want to sit next to his friend, so he was surprised when the other man plopped down next to him instead. He cleared his throat and decided to introduce himself to avoid dwelling on that. "I'm Riku," he said, extending a hand over the table for her to shake.

"Such manners! Sora you did gooood," her playful tone dropped as she shook Riku's hand, "I'm Kairi, Sora's best friend who he loves very much, so he should stop giving me that look." Dropping her hand, Riku turned his attention to Sora and saw that he was giving the girl some very serious "stank eye." He chuckled, and Sora very quickly dropped the look.

"Be nice to me and stop teasing, or you're paying for your own lunch," he threatened, pointing a fork he grabbed off the table at her. "And don't think I dunno how ta use this, see," he said, imitating an accent Riku did not recognize. 

Kairi giggled and rolled her eyes, "Sorry, inside joke. Sora likes bad D-list movies." Riku shrugged, and Sora decided to put the girl away.

"No, it's fine, I was just thinking he's just so much more lively when he's not half asleep and hungover!"  _Oh god why- did I say that whydidISAYTHAT._ Riku immediately regretted letting that slip out of his mouth. At this rate, he figured he would not be getting out of lunch without sticking his foot in his mouth and well and truly embarrassing himself. Riku tried to laugh off the remark, but it came out stiff and awkward.

Crossing his arms, Sora almost pouted, "Hey, let's see how lively you are when your head feels like an atomic bomb went off in there. And then the mushroom cloud is just hangin' out for afternoon tea. Let's see if you can think straight!"

"Aww, are they having their first fight? How cute." None of them noticed that Axel had entered the building until he plopped down into the chair beside Kairi. "You know what they say, make up sex is the best kind," he added with a casual wink before picking up a menu to look over.

Sora went completely rigid, grabbing his own menu to hide behind. "Okay, I don't think Sora is enjoying these jokes as much as everyone else. Let's just drop it," Riku suggested politely. He did not want to make Sora uncomfortable. Plus, if Sora was really that put-off at the idea of being his boyfriend, well, Riku did not want to dwell on it.

" _Thank you._ See, Riku is my only real friend here-" Sora started,  but was interrupted by a sarcastic waiter who introduced himself as Phil. He asked their orders, and everyone but Axel scrambled to answer, because he had already looked at the menu. As they finished ordering, Kairi informed the waiter that they had three more people coming, but it looked like they would be late.

The thought struck Riku that he knew precious little about Sora outside of their shared class. He wondered just how many good friends he had. Observing the way Sora talked so animated to the others, Riku tried to think up ways to get closer or spend more time with him. If he could bring up the courage to ask. 

Lunch went on as any would with a bunch of college students. Many inappropriate jokes, at least one person blowing a paper straw wrapper across the table, the late friends showing up insisting they were on time. Riku was introduced to Leon and Selphie, but the last person still had not arrived by the time they all received their food.

"Seriously, where is he? I'm texting him," Axel said, exasperated. Leaning back in his chair, he dug his phone out of his pocket and immediately began texting. Riku looked to Sora for an explanation of who he was talking about.

"Ah," Sora dropped his fork on his plate and chewed up his food quickly, "he means Roxas, another friend of ours."

"Hah! Sora," Axel snickered, "he's mad at you. You were supposed to be his ride, remember?" Sora yelped and pulled out his own phone when Axel stopped him. "Don't bother, he probably blocked you out of spite. He already kicked you outta the groupchat." Sora slumped in his chair, defeated.

"Tell him I'm so so sooo sorry! And that I'll buy him two- no- three lunches! I got-" Riku almost missed the quick glance in his own direction before Sora refocused on Axel "Distracted. And forgot." He finished sheepishly. 

As they ate, Riku chatted with everyone, getting to know them. He found out Kairi was a psychology major, wanting to work with people with memory disorders. That sounded cool. He got along with Leon pretty well, too. He was going back to school to finish his degree. "Life got complicated, I made a choice, left, and now I'm back," was all he had to say about it. And Selphie, he gathered, was fairly nice and bubbly, even if he didn't get a chance to talk with her much.

Slowly, Riku began to genuinely feel comfortable with this group of people. He realized this, a meal with friends, was something he did not do frequently. As lunch was winding down, Riku turned to Sora, "Thanks for inviting me out, this was really fun." Just as his mind was scrambling for a reason to ask to see Sora again, Kairi jumped into the conversation.

"Yeah! It's been great talking to you! You should come with us again next week!" When Riku looked hesitant, she continued, "It's sort of a weekly thing for us. We go different places to find the best food in the city! Sometimes we go out of town on weekends if there's somewhere new we hear about. C'mon Sora, tell him he has to come!" She batted her eyelashes overdramatically and clasped her hands together under her chin, obviously playing up the request.

Sora laughed at the display before telling Riku, "You heard the lady! You should come with us next week." It looked like Riku wouldn't have to wonder.

He was going to be seeing a lot more of Sora.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some info for this chapter!
> 
> Riku is supposed to be in his last year of school and is applying to grad programs! Wakka and Axel are in the same graduating class as Riku.
> 
> Sora, Kairi, Tidus, and Selphie are the year behind them. 
> 
> Roxas is only in his second year of school because he took a gap year.
> 
> Leon is working on an adult learning degree, mostly taking night classes, but had one day class where he met Sora and Kairi in their first year of school. They thought he was cool and invited him to hang out with their group. He's really only about 5 years older than them, but like he says, life got complicated.
> 
>  
> 
> Join me over on tumblr, @followyourwaytodawn, I'm starting to put up early snippets of things I'm working on and I take requests!


End file.
